Sierra~West Jewelers – Sandy

TEL: 801-984-6870

How much thought have you given to trust when it comes to buying jewelry? Gem stones have intrinsic objective value. Settings have art and artist value. Existing jewelry has value based on age, sentiment, history, and a host of other things.

So, who would you trust when it comes to placing a value on jewelry? You could turn to a company I trust: Sierra West Jewelers. I trust the company because we have investigated their business practices, and the way they treat their customers. As a result, I am proud to endorse Sierra West Jewelers as Gephardt Approved.

Here’s what struck me when I walked into the Sierra West Jewelers location in Orem: They have this small room with a bunch of expensive computerized equipment that will absolutely and objectively identify the characteristics of any precious stone. Those machines, then, go a huge step beyond that. Using laser technology, the machines positively map the exterior and interior of a stone to identify that particular stone. “It’s like a fingerprint,” says Sierra West Jewelers owner Tim Branscomb. “No two stones in the world are the same. Our technology allows a customer to have a written appraisal and positive identification of their stone. Once a customer has that fingerprint of their stone, no one can switch their stone for a look-alike. ”

Tim has been buying and selling jewelry since the early 1970’s, and he says he knows all the tricks in the industry designed to fool customers. “I don’t want people to believe I’m honest, I want to prove it,” says Tim. “I want customers to know the truth. We are doctors of diamonds here with our people and our lasers and our machines. We tell the truth, and put it in writing. Sometimes that’s painful to customers who purchased a diamond elsewhere and ask us to look at it. I challenge anyone to bring in their stones for appraisal. We tell the truth, and put it in writing!”

Tim says he has surrounded himself with highly qualified people in all his stores. “It sets us apart. We have four graduate gemologists with 4-year degrees,” says Tim. “We have three master goldsmiths and four master appraisers. Our laboratories are certified American Gemological Society laboratories. Our people are very important.”

When it comes to jewelry guarantees, Tim says he’s very strict. “We guarantee the lowest price. We do it in writing and it all ties in to our warranty. It’s for real. We will not offer some fake 30 day money back guarantee. We do it honestly. We will offer any customer a lifetime 100 per cent trade-in to any other item in the store. We really do know the value of the stones and jewelry in our store and we work to impress our honesty on our customers.”

With Tim’s 40 or so years in the jewelry business, his ambition now is to expand to 10 Sierra West Jewelry stores in Utah, and then in another five to 10 years, then retire. “It would be a fun way to leave Sierra West, if I can be sure that we would keep up our honest standards.”

So there you go: Sierra West Jewelers. Yes, they sell jewelry, but my impression is that are trying to set themselves apart with honesty. Now you know something about how this business operates. You know something about the company philosophy, and how they treat their customers. Now you know why I trust Sierra West Jewelers and why I am proud to endorse the company as Gephardt Approved.